The gale buffeted the hatchling’s dark iron scales like coarse sandpaper.
Every heavy beat of its wings stirred visible vortices of air in the night sky.
The forest below looked like a black sea of death under the moonlight.
The occasional howl of a wild beast was quickly swallowed by the whistling wind.
The hatchling’s dark red vertical pupils were like two searchlights in the darkness.
While scanning every possible fold in the earth, it also looked back from time to time, estimating its distance from the Black City and patiently using clouds to evade any possible eyes, ensuring no one would discover its tracks.
Even as its limbs began to twitch slightly from the prolonged weight, the hatchling relied on a near-instinctive intuition to lock onto a pitch-black cave entrance almost completely hidden by withered vines and wild grass in a rocky mountain hollow.
The cave mouth emitted a stale, earthy smell and a faint scent of sulfur.
Its position was extremely tricky; it would be impossible to notice unless looking down from directly above.
[Ore Vein Perception, Activated.]
As the skill activated, it sensed that some kind of mineral seemed to be buried inside the cave.
As a newborn dragon, it couldn’t distinguish exactly what mineral it was, but that didn’t stop the place from being a valuable hiding spot.
With a low rumble squeezed from deep in its throat, the hatchling folded its wings, its massive body diving toward the darkness like an out-of-control meteorite.
Just before hitting the ground, the wide wing membranes snapped open to catch the air.
With a spray of gravel and a heavy thud, the metallic-sheened claws finally stepped onto solid ground once more.
“Ugh…”
The half-blood Dark Elf knight beneath its claws, Chloe, rolled upon landing to dissipate most of the impact.
She didn’t bother to tidy her messy beige side-ponytail.
Her longsword was out of its sheath instantly, its edge drawing a warning semi-circle in the darkness.
Her red eyes warily scanned the damp, cold rock walls around them, her body as tense as a fully drawn bow, searching for any possible threat in this completely unfamiliar environment.
“Your Majesty, are you alright?”
Chloe didn’t look back, maintaining her vigilant stance with her sword, but her voice was very low, carrying a hint of undisguised anxiety.
“It was a bit bumpy, but at least it’s much better than staying in that blood-soaked castle.”
Olga straightened herself elegantly from beside the hatchling, lightly patting the dust off her ornate black dress that covered her entire body.
The Dark Elf Queen looked around this abandoned mine shaft, which was filled with the smell of mold and the sound of dripping water.
Her narrow phoenix eyes flashed with a faint amber light in the darkness—the unique night vision of the Dark Elves.
“This place… seems to be a Mithril Mine abandoned for a century. The residual magic fluctuations are very weak; even low-level monsters wouldn’t bother nesting here.”
Olga walked with a haughty stride to a moss-covered rock, disdainfully kicking some bone fragments on the ground with the tip of her shoe.
She then turned around, looking at the hatchling panting at the cave entrance with the eyes of someone inspecting cargo.
“Though it’s a crude beast, its eye for finding a hiding place is not bad.”
[Damn you, Olga. I didn’t provoke you or mess with you, but your mouth is truly poisonous.]
The hatchling rolled its eyes from the bottom of its heart.
This Olga, who was skewered in the original work, really had a mouth that begged to be dealt with.
But the hatchling didn’t want to argue with her.
Its attribute interface showed its stamina at 10/55 (-25 Long-distance heavy flight/Searching for base).
[I’m out of energy. Carrying these two Dark Elf beauties so far right after being born… I’m too tired…]
Hearing the Queen’s assessment, Chloe relaxed her guard slightly and sheathed her sword, though her hand remained on the hilt.
The knight walked quickly to the cave entrance, moving several large rocks and withered tree trunks to skillfully set up a simple concealment screen.
“We are at least two hundred miles from the Royal City. Those human hounds won’t be able to sniff us out here for a while.”
Chloe turned back to look at the massive creature lying on the ground, its dragon scales splayed to dissipate heat.
Her eyes held a trace of complex emotion.
“But Your Majesty, this dragon… its growth speed is too eerie. It seems that since we left the Royal City, it has already grown another size larger than when it was born.”
“And its actions… when it was choosing a route in the air just now, it even knew how to use the clouds to evade detection.”
Olga leaned languidly against the mine wall, her honey-colored fingers lightly twirling the black hair by her ear.
A cold smile of desire for control curled her lips.
“So what? The more intelligent a magical beast is, the more valuable it is to train.”
The Queen stepped toward the hatchling, an invisible pressure emanating from her—the aura unique to those of high status.
“Whether it’s a Ferro-Dragon or something else, as long as it’s in my palm, it’s a tool for revenge. Don’t you agree, Chloe?”
“Yes, I was overthinking.”
Chloe lowered her head and knelt on one knee, her tone returning to that of absolute obedience and loyalty.
“As long as it can contribute to your great cause, my sword will tolerate its existence.”
[These two idiots…]
The hatchling, which had little strength left, cursed the two in its heart for their complete lack of respect and gratitude.
Soon, it felt its eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
Finally, the hatchling drifted off to sleep.